This Google Adword Express ad for CarMax caught my eye when I saw a 4 stared rating. Since they are a competitor of every dealer on this form I thought this may interest us. The numbers are skewed to their advantage in my opinion.

If 74% or 228 of CarMax's 315 Google reviews are Bad to Average and only 87 are 4& 5 star rated how does that equate to a 4 Star Above Average Rating? Anyone else curious or have a opinion on this?

Replies to This ADM Discussion

This is a derivative of Google Product Search (Ratings are based on the user reviews collected by Google Product Search, which aggregates reviews from a broad base of sources across the web, including Reseller Ratings, Bizrate, ReviewCentre.com and Viewpoints, bazaarvoice.com ) and they are stating that the calculation goes beyond arithmatic mean: http://support.google.com/merchants/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=...

The Seller Ratings Calculation in Google Product Search ResultsWe calculate Seller Ratings using a variety of signals beyond just the arithmetic mean in order to make sure Seller Ratings reflect not only the raw quantity of review scores, but also how representative and high-quality the reviews are. We're constantly refining how we use those signals to give our users as helpful an overview as possible.

Here's the short answer:

"Beyond the arithmetic mean" implies , Google is not going to show below 4 stars if you are spending the money on these ads.

Welcome toAutomotive Digital Marketing ProCom
Please use the "Sign Up" link above to complete your registration form and become a member of the industry's leading Automotive Marketing and Internet Sales Professional Community. ADM members have access to resources, connections and private events that provide them with a competitive advantage.